BEIJING, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- British musical theater great Cameron Mackintosh has won a decade-long battle to take his blockbuster shows, including "Les Miserables" and "Cats," to China.
Mackintosh's works will be the first western musicals to be staged in Mandarin in China, the Daily Telegraph reported Tuesday.
"I have been wanting to bring my musicals to China for a long time," Mackintosh said, as he signed up with a joint venture theatrical company with a firm run by the Chinese Ministry of Culture.
"Five or 10 years ago, I don't think the conditions were there for this," said Zhang Yu, the Chinese producer who runs China Arts and Entertainment Group, Mackintosh's new partners. "Now it's time."
As with many joint ventures in China, Mackintosh has taken a 49 percent stake in the operation, with the majority share held by CAEG.
Mackintosh, however, has been given veto power regarding company plans.
Auditions for the first Chinese "Les Miserables" begin in November.
